A factory worker suffered serious hand injuries while cleaning a live-running machine at a labels company in Berkshire.
The worker, who wishes to remain anonymous, was an employee of Berkshire Labels Ltd, when the incident took place at the firm’s facility in Hungerford on 5 September 2011.
He was cleaning a coating roller on a finishing machine and had removed the roller several times to make adjustments and remove dried primer. On one occasion, he was brushing off the dried primer while the roller was still in motion inside the machine. His right hand became caught between two rollers and was pulled into the machine.
He severed his index finger down to the second knuckle and broke his middle finger, resulting in him being off work for six weeks.
The HSE investigated the incident and found that the machine didn’t have any guards to prevent access to the rollers. HSE inspector Sharron Cripps said: “The employee’s painful injury should not and need not have happened, and was easily preventable had Berkshire Labels fitted guarding to prevent access to the rollers.
“Being drawn into machines because of inadequate guarding – and even a total absence of guarding – happens far too regularly. The importance of robust safeguards to protect workers gaining access to dangerous moving machinery cannot be overstated.”
Berkshire Labels appeared at Reading Magistrates’ Court on 8 January and pleaded guilty to breaching reg.11(1) of PUWER 1998, for failing to take suitable steps to prevent access to the dangerous parts of the machine. It was fined £7000 and ordered to pay £5637 in costs.
